Dillon County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 28,292. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Dillon.

History

Founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County, both Dillon County and the city of Dillon were named for prosperous local citizen James W. Dillon (1826–1913), an Irishman who settled there and led a campaign to bring the railroad into the community. The result of this effort was the construction of the Wilson Short Cut Railroad, which later became part of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

. It stimulated greater prosperity directly linking Dillon County to the national network of railroads.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.43%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in South Carolina by area.

State and local protected areas/sites

* Bass Community Park * Dillon County Museum * Little Pee Dee State Park * Little Pee Dee State Park Bay Heritage Preserve

Major water bodies

* Cud Swamp * Great Pee Dee River * Little Pee Dee River * Lumber River * Maidendown Swamp * Reedy Creek

Adjacent counties

* Robeson County, North Carolina – north * Columbus County, North Carolina – north * Horry County – east * Marion County – south * Florence County – southwest * Marlboro County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Dillon County Airport * Dillon Station * Inland Port Dillon, major rail depot in the county

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 28,292 people, 11,029 households, and 7,016 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 32,062 people, 11,923 households, and 8,342 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 13,742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48.0% white, 46.1% black or African American, 2.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 1.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.5% were American, 6.5% were English, and 5.4% were Irish. Of the 11,923 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 23.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $26,818 and the median income for a family was $34,693. Males had a median income of $31,973 versus $22,100 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,684. About 26.2% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 43.8% of those under age 18 and 23.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 30,722 people, 11,199 households, and 8,063 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 12,679 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 47%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 49%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.21% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.99% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 11,199 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.80% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 22.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.24. In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.10% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,630, and the median income for a family was $32,690. Males had a median income of $26,908 versus $18,007 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $13,272. About 19.40% of families and 24.20% of the population were below the

, including 33.30% of those under age 18 and 26.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Economy

In 2022, the GDP of Dillon County as $887.9 million (about $32,055 per capita). In chained 2017 dollars, the real GDP was $742.1 million (about $27,808 per capita). Between 2022 through 2024, the unemployment rate of the county has fluctuated between 3.6-5.7%. Food Lion, Harbor Freight Tools, McLeod Health, Perdue Farms, and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

comprise some of the largest employers in the county.

Attractions

* Dillon County Museum * Dillon Motor Speedway * Little Pee Dee State Park * South of the Border

Communities

Cities

* Dillon (county seat and largest community)

Towns

* Lake View * Latta

Census-designated places

* Floydale * Hamer * Little Rock * Newtown

Other unincorporated communities

* Bass Crossroads * Berrys Crossroads * Bingham * Bronson Crossroads * Bunker Hill * Carmichael Crossroads * Carolina * Carter Landing * Centerville * Cotton Valley * Dalcho * Dothan * Dunbarton * Five Forks * Fork * Forrest Hills * Gaddys Crossroads * Gaddys Mill * Galavon * Hayestown * High Hill Crossroads * Jacksonville * Judson * Kemper * Kentyre * Linkside * Mallory * Mallory Beach * Manning Crossroads * May Hilltop * McCormick Crossroads * Minturn * Mount Calvary * Newtown * Oak Grove * Oakland Crossroads * Oliver Crossroads * Pittman Corner * Riverdale * Selma * Sinclair Crossroads * South of the Border * Squires * Squires Curve * Temperance Hill

References

External links

* *
Dillon County history and images
{{Authority control 1910 establishments in South Carolina Populated places established in 1910 Majority-minority counties in South Carolina